04-19-2021, 01:19 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-19-2021, 01:19 PM by KillerLeft.)
(04-19-2021, 01:04 PM)ballsrchr Wrote: KP is a unicorn (truly...and he thinks so as well) who should have a team built around him. That's not going to happen with Luka on the team. Who do you trade? I trade KP in an instant.
I think you've cut to the heart of the issue, but I disagree with part of your conclusion (though not the ultimate one).
Yes, I agree that KP seems to feel as though the offense should be built around what makes him comfortable (speculation, but reasonable, imo). But, I don't think that's a good thing for any team to do, or for him, when said and done. Just look at how quickly Luka elevated a bad Mavs team to the playoffs - his first season with the reigns, basically. Did KP have a similar effect in NY? I'd say no.
It's true that KP might look better and more comfortable if the team was geared around him, but I don't think there's much evidence that this would translate to improvement for the team in terms of winning percentage. Even those who disagree with that will surely agree that placing his needs ahead of Luka's, at this point, would be silly.
If he was a winner he'd be all about trying to find a way to exist within THIS team's structure and contribute to wins in whatever way needed. This is Luka's team, and that fact wasn't hidden from him at any point of the process. Either he's trying to do that and failing or he's got some sort of chip on his shoulder about the situation. Either way, it's not working. Now, I do think Luka deserves some blame for not helping to make it work, too, but the dude is 22. It's going to take some time for him to reach that level of mastery over the game and specifically over being the driving force of an NBA contender. Today, the most apparent thing to my eyes is that Porzingis just isn't the player we hoped he was, and from a variety of different angles. There are nights when he literally doesn't even try to play defense, and you just can't have that from your max contract center. For me, that's the end of the conversation. Other, more nuanced points ring hollow after that.
So, I think it's a no-brainer that KP should be moved at the first opportunity, but I'm not hopeful that there will be a line of teams willing to provide the kind of value most here seem to expect. If I were a rival GM watching the Mavs this season, KP, on that contract, is one of the last players I'd want to add to my roster.